Ryan Fitzgerald has been promoted to the role of director, entertainment operations for Princess Cruises. In this position, Fitzgerald will oversee the entertainment leadership and programming onboard all 17 ships in the cruise line’s global fleet.

Fitzgerald first joined Princess Cruises in 2015 as manager of cruise staff and programming and was instrumental in leading the restructuring efforts of the onboard entertainment teams to include two key positions – entertainment director and cruise director. This two-year initiative resulted in the shipboard teams achieving continuously higher guest satisfaction scores. In addition, he and the cruise staff teams successfully launched new game shows across the fleet as well as new experiences as part of the Discovery at SEA partnership, including High Seas Heist with Detective Joe Kenda and Can You Survive?

“In his new role, Ryan brings vast and valuable experience to oversee the delivery of a fantastic and memorable entertainment experience for all of our guests,” said Denise Saviss, Princess Cruises vice president, entertainment experience. “His 17 years of experience in the cruise industry, from working onboard as a cruise director to now managing all of the onboard activities and cruise staff across the fleet, contributed to his continued success at Princess Cruises.”

Prior to joining Princess Cruises, Fitzgerald started at Carnival Cruise Line in 2002, initially as a musician and then joined the cruise staff team where he was promoted to cruise director in 2007. He moved to the cruise line’s shoreside operations in 2011 and was promoted to manager of cruise staff and programming in 2012.

Originally from Indianapolis, Fitzgerald holds a bachelor’s degree in music business from Middle Tennessee State University and a master’s degree in hospitality administration from University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Fitzgerald resides in Santa Clarita, Calif., with his wife and two young children.